The Mark Miller Report: 3 Gators in Super Bowl

Super Bowl XLVIII is set and the Gators are represented on both of the participating teams. Seattle has Percy Harvin and Denver has both Andre Caldwell and Jeremy Mincey. Actually, Lerentee McCray is also with the Broncos but has been on the injured reserve all season. I mention all of this because it brings up some interesting side notes to this Super Bowl.

As far as I can tell, only four Gators have won both a national championship ring and a Super Bowl ring. Those would be Jeff Mitchell and Deonte Thompson with the Ravens, Dallas Baker with the Steelers and Justin Trattou with the New York Giants. There will be another this year since both Harvin and Caldwell won national championships with the Gators and one of them is guaranteed to win Super Bowl XLVIII.

Some other interesting tidbits of Gator Super Bowl trivia exist as well. Did you know that this will be the 12th consecutive year that a Gator has been on a Super Bowl roster? It is also the ninth time in the last 15 years that there was a Gator on both rosters. It kind of makes its hard to figure out which team to pull for doesn’t it? Actually, I really just want a good entertaining game in which the Gators all perform well. I am not a big John Elway fan but I really don’t care for Pete Carroll much either so …

What I am really looking forward to in this Super Bowl (other than the commercials) is Percy Harvin in a Super Bowl. Danny and Timmy are my favorite all-time Gators but I think Percy might be the most talented as a pure playmaker. More importantly, Percy is one of those players who seem to thrive in the biggest moments on the biggest stages. If he can somehow stay healthy for an entire sixty minutes of football, I can’t help but believe he will present us with some magical Super Bowl moments. Percy is likely the only Gator with a realistic chance to win the MVP of this game.

The SEC is, of course, well represented in the big game as well. The Broncos roster includes: Peyton Manning, Robert Ayers, Malik Jackson and Britton Colquitt from Tennessee; Champ Bailey and Knowshon Moreno from Georgia; Jacob Tamme, Danny Trevathan and Wesley Woodyard from Kentucky as well as Trindon Holiday from LSU. There is also Von Miller from Texas A&M but the Aggies weren’t in the SEC when Miller was there.

I have not done a comparison with the other conferences but the above list certainly seems impressive at face value. This is why it is an advantage to play in the SEC. This is why the conference does so well on national signing day. This is why Texas A&M will suddenly find itself able to recruit toe to toe with the Texas Longhorns. It is why Will Muschamp can still sign a top ten class even though his Gators finished 4-8 this season.

There are a few things that leap out at you here, like the fact that Kentucky has three players in this Super Bowl and Missouri and Auburn have zero. Also, is there really still a Colquitt punting in the NFL? You would think there would be more players from Alabama with their recent dominance. Florida, LSU, Tennessee, Georgia, Kentucky and Texas A&M all have more players on Super Bowl rosters this year.

Well, there you have it, a few things and players to pay attention to on February 2nd if you don’t have a dog in this hunt. I figure you will hear nearly every possible angle on this game over the next two weeks but you might not here what you’ve read above anywhere else. Enjoy the big game with good friends and good food, maybe even an adult beverage or two.

Mark Miller's bravery knows no limits. He's a Gator living deep in the heart of Georgia. Mark's weekly columns appear in the Coosa Valley News in Rome, Georgia, where Gators are few and Bulldogs are many. His updates about football and life among the heathens will appear in Gator Country on a weekly basis.

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